The Tyrant
Summary: Issei Hyoudou was nothing in his family's eyes. He was a sinner, his sister a saint. He was nothing but scum to them, pushing him into a corner. No one thought about how far Issei would go to start pushing back. "You called me trash. You called me worthless. But here I stand, above you. With the spirits by my side, I shall rise and become a King. This is my Fated Ascension."
Warnings: Bashing, Non-Sacred Gear Issei, Twin Sister, Less Perverted Issei, Dark Issei, Human Issei, Rated M for Dark Themes
Inspired by various Servant Class Card Fanfictions and other FGO/DxD Crossovers
Crossovers: Fate (Primary), High School of the Dead (Minor, characters only), possibly more to come.
Pairing: Issei/?
III: Preparations
There were a few moments of silence after I summoned Circe, only the fading hum of magic and the sound of the wind filling the air.
"So, you done stroking his cheek lovingly yet?" Caenis's voice came, earning a blush from Circe as she backed up from me, shifting her gaze to the tanned Lancer.
"Caeneus," Circe said. "My niece, Medea, told me a little bit about you. I thought you were a man?"
"Blame how the stupid throne works," she snapped. "I can't control it."
"Yes, the throne is rather strange in how it works."
"Strange is putting it lightly, birdy."
"I believe this is the case of the pot calling the kettle a twat."
"… Don't you mean black?"
"I know what I said."
"Um," I spoke up, making both of them look at me. "Not to interrupt your whole bonding moment, but if we can focus on what's important…?"
"Sounds good," Caenis nodded.
"I suppose we can argue later," Circe agreed. "So, how may I help you?"
"I've recently bought a new property-."
"I recently bought a new property," Caenis cut in with a smirk.
"Caenis, not now."
"Right, right."
"As I was saying, I've bought a new property, and I need it protected from Supernatural attacks and the like. And I need various magic tools… Not for offensive purposes, but to protect me."
Circe nodded at my words. "So, you want your property warded from the supernatural, and you want some protection. Sounds fair… But, can I ask why?"
"Oh, oh!" Caenis spoke up. "I wanna take this one, can I?"
I gave her a look. "It's my ambition, why do you want to?"
"Because I've kind of gotten used to explaining things now."
I kept staring at her before sighing. "… Fine."
She pumped her fist. "Aw yeah!" She turned to Circe. "So, it's like this! Mister Perverted Master over there- "
"I hate you."
"- Wants to take over the world. He's a bit of a weakling right now, but I have an idea of which Servant to Summon to help train him up. While they can condition his physical body, he still needs a place he can be safe, and train in peace. That's where you come in! We need you to protect the big house we've got, and build an underground training area, as well as set up a workshop for you to teach him about Magecraft!"
"… That is… Quite a tall order," Circe said, after hearing Caenis's explanation.
"So, you can't?"
"Don't patronise me, stupid tyrant," Circe snapped. "Of course, I can! But it isn't cheap, I'll need materials. And lots of them."
"We'll get them."
"Huh?" Circe turned her gaze to me.
"We will get you whatever materials we need to for this to work," I repeated.
She stared at me. "… Tell me, why do you seek to be a king?" She asked carefully.
"Because I am weak," I told her. "I am weak, discriminated against, and hated…" I clenched my fists. "I want to prove them wrong. I want to show them that I'm more than what they make me out to be."
"I could easily make it stop with hypnotism," she said to me. "Your current path will be filled with danger, death, heartache, and even possibly betrayal from allies you make down the line. Even knowing what awaits you, do you still seek to go down this path?"
I paused as I considered her words…
Was I willing to?
Did I really want to live a life like that?
With danger that could kill me?
With the blood of hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of people on my hands?
With allies I make possibly betraying me and trying to bring me down?
Was I truly willing to live a life like that?
What are you talking about? You already know the answer.
"Yes."
I had chosen this path.
Perhaps I hadn't truly seen all the dangers or hardships that would come with my path, but I had chosen it nonetheless. And I would stick with it…
To the end.
Circe, as if reading my thoughts, smiled. "Then rest assured, master, this Circe shall assure your ascension. Even if our enemies are monsters, mortals, or gods."
"Good," Caenis said. "Because, if you'd turned him down…" Her eyes turned red. "I'd have had to kill you."
My gaze turned to Caenis with wide eyes, not expecting that.
Circe only raised an eyebrow.
"Were you expecting anything less, Issei?" Caenis asked me. "I told you that I'd make you king. Right now, it is you against the world. If she isn't with us, she's against us. And, obviously, I can't have that. I would have cut her down without a moment of hesitation."
"She's right," Circe nodded in agreement. "I'm afraid, until you reach a certain level of strength, that is the mentality you will need to carry. It is us against the world. Are you willing to accept that?"
I slowly looked up at the ceiling…
And then I looked back at them both with what may have been the most serious expression I'd ever made. "Yes."
"I'm so glad we have a master who is listening to what we say," Caenis muttered. "A competent master is always nice."
"Who are you saying is incompetent? Kirschtaria, or Ritsuka?"
"Ritsuka, obviously."
"I dare you to say that in front of Da Vinci."
I wisely decided to not ask what they were talking about.
…
…
…
After making sure I got home safely and quietly, Caenis took Circe to the house she'd bought so she could set up barriers to protect it, as well as so Caenis could order various other things online that Circe would need to construct the things we needed.
My walk to school the next morning was fairly boring. Both Caenis and Circe were cut off from the bond, likely shopping for other materials Circe needed.
I made my way to my seat, keeping my headphones on my head as I pulled out my notebook. I could see the distasteful glares people were giving me, but I ignored them.
After so many years of being shunned, being able to ignore glares became essential. Whispers were… Less difficult to cope with.
Finally, the teacher walked in and told everyone to take their seats. I lowered my headphones, tapping a button on the side to pause my music.
Class was… Normal.
Normal… Until I finally shifted my gaze over to Rei and Asia, and I had to visibly stop myself from reacting.
I could see it.
Something… Clinging to them.
An energy.
I could almost call it miasma.
Rei's was black swirling with dark red colours, taking on the vague form of a dragon's head.
Asia's was a radiance of light, blotted with inky black dots, forming a pair of angelic wings behind her, that flickered into more bat-like wings, before returning to angelic ones.
'What the fuck!?'
'Master?' I heard Circe's voice in my mind. 'Is something wrong?'
'There's… Something clinging to my sister and her friend!'
'What do you mean?'
I did my best to explain it, even though it made me sound a bit crazy. I also made sure I wasn't looking at them too obviously, I didn't need even more rumours spreading.
'Oh, I think I know what's going on.'
'What is it?'
'Once your magic circuits have had time to settle, like yours, you obtain an innate 'sense' that helps you detect Magecraft. It can manifest as anything, but it is most effective when manifesting as one of the five main senses. You are rather fortunate, yours has manifested in sight.'
'So, what I'm seeing…?'
'Is the manifestation representing their magical energy. It seems your sister is involved in the supernatural, as is the Asia girl. Based on your description, her power is of a darker nature, mixed with that of a dragon. And Asia's is a more holy energy, blotted with the darkness of demons. Her angelic wings indicate her pure nature, but their flickering to bat wings show she is susceptible to corruption.'
That was... Useful.
Very useful.
It meant I'd be able to learn about an enemy just from looking at them, so long as they were involved in the supernatural.
'I must say, Master, you really lucked out with your ability to sense Magecraft. Mine manifests in a Sixth Sense, which can be unreliable.'
'Then I suppose I'll count my blessings… What are you and Caenis doing, anyway?'
'Shopping,' she told me. 'Many of my materials won't be here for a few days, so we're buying what materials we can now. As well as some things we think you might need once you move in.'
'Such as?'
'Various cooking utensils, cook books, some workout equipment, and other things.'
'Right… Keep it up then, I'm going to focus up on class.'
'As you wish, Master. Caenis will join you once school is over.'
'Wait, what do you mean by that?'
I didn't get the response.
'Why do I have a bad feeling…?' I couldn't help but think to myself.
I let out a soft sigh and focused up on the lesson, deciding to put it out of my mind for now. It was future Issei's problem. Present Issei didn't have to deal with that shit.
Throughout the day, I learnt more than I think I ever might have wanted to about the Occult Research Club.
Whenever I saw any of the members, I saw that aura clinging to them, taking on forms.
Rias Gremory's took on the form of a deep crimson entity with a distinctly feminine appearance, wearing something that reminded me of a duchess's crown. Where their eyes should have been sat a pair of spiralling galaxies that saw more than I ever could have dreamed… And an orb that screamed death in their hands.
Akeno Himejima's took on a… Twisted form. The left side was completely back, matched with a bat-like wing and a horn atop their head. The right side was violet with an angelic wing and what looked like half of a cracked halo. Its form crackled with lightning, a sadistic grin on its lips.
Yuuto Kiba's took on the form of a dark swordsman, horns atop their head, and a blood red gaze filled with vengeance. There were flickers of white light in its body, but they were quickly snuffed out by the darkness.
Koneko Toujou's appeared as a grey entity. Bat wings emerged from their back, and horns were on their head. But they also had a pair of cat ears, and twin cat tails coming out lower down their back.
Just the demonic appearances alone confirmed it for me… The horns were more than enough of a giveaway, but the bat wings confirmed it.
The Occult Research Club were all demons.
No wonder they were all so fucking perfect…
After all, what's the best way to make someone not believe you're a demon? Make yourself seem to be the complete opposite so nobody even considers it a possibility.
But the biggest shock came when I saw Sona Shitori walking down the halls.
An aura of a vivid, dark blue. It held a masculine figure, the head of leopard, and the wings of some sort of bird- a griffin jumped to mind. What looked to be a stream of water flowed around the figure, the eyes showing a bottomless depravity…
Oh god… The Student Council President was a demon too!?
What had Caenis called that book when I'd mentioned Rias Gremory the previous night? The Lesser Keys of Solomon?
I needed to read that shit, or at least do my research on the demons in it as soon as possible!
Thankfully, I managed to avoid any incidents until after school…
As I walked out of the school, headphones on my head, I looked to the school gates, seeing a crowd gathering there, and I tilted my head in confusion. What were they all doing?
I made my way through the crowd, people giving me disgusted looks as I brushed past them… And my jaw dropped at the person standing there.
It was Caenis.
Clad in her bikini, booty shorts, and jacket. Her ears lay flat against her head, hiding them expertly in her white hair.
She was tapping her arm as she leaned against the entrance of the school, looking bored. A silver motorcycle was nearby, so I just presumed it was hers.
No.
Please don't tell me she was waiting for me.
Please, for the love of god, don't tell me she was waiting for-!
She spotted me.
And she grinned.
Oh, please no-!
"Oi, Issei!" She waved at me.
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to me as they cleared from around me, giving her a clear view of me.
"… Caenis," I said, my voice strained to my own ears. "What an unexpected surprise. Why are you here?"
"To pick you up, of course!" She said, like that made perfect sense. "We made plans, remember?"
The whispers around me made me want to drown myself and die.
"Plans? Like, date plans!?"
"That rapist Hyoudou got a girlfriend!?"
"It must be some kind of joke, maybe he hired her or something?"
"Yes, of course…" I said, giving a very strained smile. "Shall we go then?"
"Of course!" She nodded, gesturing to the bike. "Hop on!"
I gave her my deluxe 'we are going to have a serious talk about this' look, before I made my way towards the bike…
But froze in place as I heard Rei's voice.
"What the heck is going on here?"
I looked back; everyone having cleared the way. My sister stood there, hands on her hips. Asia was nearby, looking a bit confused and worried.
"Hah?" Caenis tilted her head. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm that idiot's sister, unfortunately," Rei told her. "What are you doing with him, huh?"
"Nunya."
"Nunya- what?"
"Nunya business!"
Despite how tense I was feeling, I couldn't stop myself from snorting in amusement.
Rei glowered at Caenis. "Do you even know who he is?"
"Should I care?"
"He's a pervert!" She snapped. "He's just a few bad incidents short of being a full-on rapist! You should stop wasting your time, someone like that can't be changed!"
"Yeah!" Someone jeered.
"Rapist Hyoudou!" Another yelled.
"He should just go and die!" A third agreed.
More and more jeers were shot out, and I shifted my gaze to the ground, clenching my fists slowly.
Again.
It's happening again.
They all follow her words like blind, ignorant sheep…
They don't even consider the possibility that I could be innocent…
I hate this… I hate this…! I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate-!
I was cut out of my thoughts by a sound.
One I wasn't expecting.
Caenis's laughter.
My gaze snapped up.
Her head was thrown back, letting out a loud laugh that silenced the jeers.
The look of confusion on Rei's face was priceless.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Sorry, sorry," she kept laughing. "I just haven't heard such bullshit in years, I couldn't help it!"
"What-?" She stared at Caenis in shock, as if she truly couldn't believe she was being called out.
"You heard me."
"I'm not lying!" She snapped. "If you go with him alone, he's sure to try and rape you or something!"
Caenis's laughter came to an immediate halt, and I felt a cold chill rush over my skin.
No longer was Caenis calm.
The mere thought of me raping her… Something about it had driven her to a great level of anger.
And then I saw it.
The aura of Caenis's power.
It was a shimmering gold, a towering figure that loomed over us like we were mere mortals. The figure had long hair, done into a single braid, and was dressed in fine white robes. The face was similar to Caenis's own, but the face and body were more masculine. Atop their head was a crown with three sharp points.
In their left hand was a shield, bearing a golden infinity symbol with a sword through the middle of it.
And, in the right, was a three-pronged spear that radiated power.
Trident.
"First point, you spoiled little shit," Caenis spoke, her tone no longer kind in the slightest. It was filled with such vehemence, such anger, that it made everyone take a step away from her. "You assume he," she jutted a thumb at me, "Is strong enough to hold me down so he can rape me."
"… Thank you for the vote of confidence, but I still feel insulted…" I muttered.
"Second," she continued, as if I hadn't spoken. "You assume that he's also smart enough to rape someone and get away with it."
"… Again, thank you for the vote of confidence, but these backhanded compliments are really insulting…"
"Third…" She all but snarled. "Is that you seem to think I'm stupid."
"W- What-?"
"Do you think I'm like the rest of these fucking sheep?" She sneered, glancing over the populace of the school with distaste. "Do you think I don't know the scent of bullshit? Do you think I don't know the eyes of a liar?"
"I- I'm not lying-!"
"I wasn't done yet, you stupid bitch!" She snapped. There was such authority in her words that Rei's mouth shut instantly. "The fourth, and final, point is that you seem to think I'm going to tolerate this bullshit…"
Her aura intensified, and I saw Rei and Asia both starting to tremble.
"You are nothing before me. You are just a spoiled, angry, insignificant little girl who hates her brother for some sort of childish reason, and stomps her foot angrily like a kindergartner throwing a temper tantrum when she doesn't get her way…
"Get out of my sight and never cross it again, you insignificant spec."
Rei began to back up. I didn't know what she was seeing, but it was enough to make her look at Caenis with horror in her gaze. Asia looked pretty scared too, hiding behind Rei.
"What exactly is going on here?" The crisp, clean voice of Sona Shitori came in as she walked over, a stern expression on her face.
"Nothing at all," Caenis said, her aura complete dissipating into nothingness. "I was just waiting outside the gates for my friend to arrive," she nodded at me. "Now that he's here, and if people are done being nosy," she cast a scowl at everyone, who were all suddenly finding the ground and sky very interesting. "We were just leaving."
She cast a gaze at me, then to Caenis, then to a terrified looking Rei and Asia. "Then why do Hyoudou and Argento both look afraid?"
"Perhaps they saw something they shouldn't have," she said. "It sure told me a whole lot about them, you know."
I got the feeling there was more to Caenis's statement than she was letting on, because I saw Sona's eyes harden.
"I see…" Her tone was frosty. "And are you going to continue causing trouble here?"
"I only cause trouble if people insist on causing trouble for me, or Mr Obsessed-With-Boobs over here."
"Okay, I know that's true, but did you need to point it out?" I asked her.
"Yes," she nodded. "Now get on the fucking bike."
I grumbled lightly, but climbed on the back of the bike, putting on a helmet.
"Simple," she told Sona. "Don't mess with me and my innocent and naïve little friend, and I don't mess with you. If that's all, we're behind schedule and should go," she turned away from the students, climbing onto the bike and putting her helmet on.
"Hold on tight," she told me. "And if you grab my boobs-!"
"Yeah, yeah, you'll kick me off the bike," I said as I wrapped my arms around her waist.
"I was gonna say I'll punch you once we get off, but that works too!"
Without another word, Caenis revved the bike and we sped off away from the school.
I never saw the expressions on a select few people as they processed Caenis's words, casting suspicious looks at Rei.
I never saw Asia looking at Rei with a frightened but concerned expression as Caenis's words rang in her head.
And I never saw how Rei left with Asia, a look of worry hidden in her gaze.
…
…
…
I stumbled off of Caenis's bike as she pulled over outside the house.
She was… A very aggressive driver, and that was putting it mildly.
"Haha, sorry about that," she said, having the decency to at least look sheepish as she took off her helmet. "I don't exactly have the riding skill, so I'm not good at driving."
"You're not driving me ever again unless it's life or death," I told her, pulling off the helmet and setting it on the bike. "Ever."
"Aw, but it was fun!"
"You and I have very different definitions of fun, Caenis!"
"Look on the bright side!"
"What bright side is there right now!?"
"You get to see the house for the first time!"
I blinked at that and shifted my gaze to the house, getting a good look at it for the first time.
It was fucking huge. And that was me underestimating it. It looked less like a house and more like a damned manor!
I didn't remember a house like this being around in town before, what the fuck?
"Oh… My… Breasts…"
"Don't you mean god?"
"Look, you worship your thing and I'll worship mine."
She snorted in amusement at that. "Circe did some work on the house," she said by way of explanation. "She hypnotised the people in houses that were taking up room into moving elsewhere. Don't worry, we paid them a good price so they could find other places."
"I wouldn't have cared if you hadn't paid them."
She grinned, as if pleased with my answer. "I'll remember that for next time! But, anyway, we have more materials that will arrive tomorrow so Circe can really do some good work and add other important additions I said we'd need. In the meantime, she started working on a mystic code that looks exactly like your uniform once we got home. That way you'll be protected at school."
"She did all this in a few hours…?"
"Yep!" Caenis grinned. "Impressive, right?"
"More than impressive, it's unbelievable."
"That's what one of the greatest Greek sorcerers in history can do," she laughed. "You think this is great, just wait till you see the inside!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me down the path.
The inside of the house was just as impressive. It looked modern, but held a very 'Ancient Greek' vibe to it. I chalked it up to Circe's habits from when she was alive.
"Ah, Master!" I heard Circe's voice as she came down the stairs, giving me a radiant smile as she made her way over, wings fluttering behind her. "Welcome! Do you like the house?"
"It's very impressive," I told her. "You've done a great job, Circe."
"It is only natural," she told me. "I hope you don't mind that I set up a small farm behind the house. I prefer to grow my own crops."
"You won't hear me complaining about it, just try and keep any magic usage discreet or unseen?"
She nodded. "Not a problem, I already thought you would ask and have taken appropriate counter measures."
"Good. Now, I heard you were making a Mystic Code for me…?"
Her eyes lit up. "Ah, yes! Please, head to the lounge while I retrieve it!" She didn't wait for me to respond as she headed up the stairs, joyfully humming a tune.
"… She seems happy."
"Do you know much about Circe's legend, Issei?"
"Eh? Um… Not much. Just that she liked Odysseus and… Liked to turn people into pigs?"
She gave a nod as she led me to the lounge. "She fell in love with Odysseus when he visited the island. She found him enchanting, beautiful, and desired him above all others."
"… But?"
"But he didn't love her," she sighed, taking a seat on one of the sofas. "See, legends messed things up a bit. Odysseus is said to have kids with Circe, but he didn't at all. He was completely focused on getting back to his wife, Penelope, after the Trojan War. When Circe turned his men into pigs, he convinced her to turn them back and then he resisted her advances and left with his men, continuing his journey back to his wife."
"But Circe was left alone…" I said. "Heartbroken, feeling betrayed that the men she fell in love with, that she thought she could spend her life with, left her behind… Am I right?"
Caenis nodded. "Yes. Circe is one of the Servants that becomes very attached to their Master, willing to do anything for them so long as it doesn't go against their morals or beliefs… Even then, if they care for them strongly enough, they're willing to go against those."
I gulped lightly. "… So, what? She has a crush on me?"
"Something like that."
"And there's a chance she could fall in love with me?"
"It's not just there, it's likely to happen."
"So, what do I do?"
"I can't answer that," she looked at me. "That is all up to you, Issei."
I only nodded as I slipped into a seat next to her, staring down at my hands.
Love…
There was a good chance Circe was going to fall in love with me…
I really didn't know how I was supposed to take that.
How would I respond to such feelings, when I didn't even know what love was?
'There is only one thing I can do,' I thought to myself. 'I just have to spend time with her, and see if I end up feeling love. If I fall in love with her, I think I'll know. And, if I don't love her, I will be completely honest and not string her along.'
I nodded resolutely with my decision, looking up as Circe walked over, that beautiful smile still on her face.
She set four neatly folded sets of clothes on the table.
"Your defensive mystic code uniforms," she told me. "One for wearing, another to wear when that's being washed, another to wear when one is being washed and the other is drying, and the last as a spare in case something happens to the other ones."
"You don't do things by halves, do you?" Caenis asked.
"When the master's safety is involved? Never."
"You don't need to call me Master," I said to her. "Just Issei is fine. Being called master is a bit…" Arousing.
She nodded. "Then Issei-sama."
"That's not… Ugh, sure."
She smiled and took a seat on a chair, crossing one leg over the other. "So, what's the plan?"
Both she and Caenis looked at me.
It took me a moment to realise they expected me to have a plan.
Of course, it made sense. I was the leader here, so they would follow my words. They would offer suggestions, and advice on how to improve any plans I made, but ultimately would leave the final decision in my hands.
"First and foremost, I want you to focus on the house," I told Circe. "Put all your focus into the house, any other mystic codes are now secondary. It needs to be a fortress."
She nodded. "I can do that."
"Second," I looked at Caenis. "I need you to stick with me from now on, to protect me and such…"
I explained about the Occult Research Club, and the auras they had all given off, as well as Sona's.
"Seven demons in the school," Circe muttered "Possibly even more, considering the Gremory girl leads a club. It wouldn't surprise me if this 'Shitori' girl's Student Council was also filled with demons."
I shuddered as I considered that. About a dozen or so demons in school, and who knew what they were planning…?
"And Issei lives with two of them," Caenis pointed out. "One who also gives off the power of a Dragon, according to him. That's not good, Dragons are one of the most powerful Phantasmal Beasts. If his sister has Dragon aura, she is dangerous."
"Indeed," Circe gave a grave nod. "Issei-sama's protection is now your top priority, Caenis. How are you going to get out of the house, Issei-sama?"
"I have to wait until Rei is gone for a prolonged period of time," I told them. "Sadly, I don't know how long that's going to take… It could be weeks; it could be months. But once she's out, all I need to do is convince my parents to let me leave and then I'm home free."
Circe bit her lip. "I could hypnotise your parents-!"
"No," I told her. "My sister or Asia could notice, it's not worth the risk. Better I convince them once Rei is gone for a while."
She gave a nod. "I understand."
"Right," Caenis nodded. "So, focus on defending the house, I focus on defending you, get you out of the house when we can, what else?"
"I need training," I told them both. "Circe, can you teach me?"
She nodded. "I can most certainly do that. I'll assume your knowledge is limited and start from scratch. I'll need a bit of time to set up a circle so I can Soul Dive, but I can teach you other things until them."
I nodded and looked to Caenis. "I know you said you aren't good at training, but I don't need training in fighting right now. What I need right now is physical conditioning, strengthening my body so that I have the strength to install a Servant for at least fifteen minutes if need be."
She considered that before she nodded. "Physical conditioning, that I can do."
I gave a nod. "One I've moved out, and once I've gotten a bit of training done, then we can move onto the next step."
"Next step?" Circe tilted her head.
I nodded. "Right now, we don't have enough information about our enemies and we don't know how much they have on us. What we'll need is information. In other words, we need Servants. Specifically, Servants specialising in espionage and information gathering."
"You mean…?"
"Yes. Once I'm moved out, it will be time to summon an Assassin Servant to help us start gathering information."
And that's it for this chapter.
Issei's magecraft sensing has manifested in sight. I feel like this is a unique take on it, as most people focus on 'Bloodhound' Shiro, so other forms of sensing magecraft are never quite explored. I feel Issei's is unique, and a very cool visual.
Caenis has revealed herself to the devils and subtly hinted at her knowledge of the supernatural, essentially placing Issei under her protection while suggesting he is not involved in the supernatural himself.
Circe has made some nice additions to the house, and prepared mystic codes that look just like Issei's school uniform in order to protect him better while he is at school, and Caenis has revealed why Circe is happy when Issei praises her.
Also, the group have now made their immediate plans and begun preparations for the future. Circe focuses on their stronghold, Caenis focuses on Issei's protection, and Issei focuses on finding an opening to finally move out of his house and be free.
I'm not going to lie, this chapter only took so long to write because I wanted to write a classroom scene for Issei but wasn't sure what to write. And then I remembered magecraft sensing, and thought it would be a great idea to have Issei's manifest in his sight. It's a unique take on magecraft sensing, and I'm happy for other people to use it in their fate fics if they want to.
The Caenis scene was one I had planned out, the confrontation with Rei being something I was looking forward to writing. Some may argue it's a bit soon for a confrontation, but I feel like it has lain some good groundwork for the future.
I've also lain the groundwork for Circe's crush, and possible eventual love for Issei, as well as made it clear that Issei has some reservations about love as he himself hasn't felt it, so he doesn't know what love is, but is willing to explore and see if he can obtain feelings for Circe.
I think Issei also making the decision to summon Assassin Servants AFTER he's moved out and cleared a few roadblocks is a good one. If he summoned an Assassin right away, it would be something else piled onto everything else. This way, he is dealing with what is right in front of him, and then moving onto the more difficult things afterwards. Not too many things happening at once.
I hope people appreciate the FGO easter eggs I've dropped in this story. And I hope EVERYONE appreciates how I'm having Issei be smarter than usual, while doing my best to maintain as much of his original personality as I can. He's willing to admit he doesn't know everything, he understands there are gaps in his knowledge, and isn't afraid to ask for advice or make plans to seek out that knowledge on his own so that he can be better prepared for the future.
I'm almost certain I'm going to have a harem at this point, purely because I think Issei/Caenis/Circe alone would be a fantastic pairing, as I'm really enjoying the dynamic I have going on between the three of them right now.
This is Ezras Hargrave, signing off!